Trailblazin Ministries

J.R. - Life by Stereo

Written by George Sly
Saturday, 02 February 2008

Album Overview

J.R.: "Ok everybody, huddle up. Aight, Soul I want you to run a post route. R&B, you do a deep end. Hip Hop and Pop, both of you run the deep corners. If you all bust it out on this one, we're gonna score!"

The announcer calls the play: "J.R. is back to pass. He scrambles to the left. He scrambles to the right. He's under pressure. The ball is in the air and up for grabs in the end zone. All of his receivers have it. R&B, Pop, Hip Hop, and Soul combine for the touchdown. Jesus Christ wins! Jesus Christ wins!

From the "Intro" to "Never Lose," this album is just that compelling. J.R.'s second release, Life by Stereo addresses many issues facing Christians today, while hitting us with play after play of complex musical arrangements, movements, and style. This sophomore project takes us on a journey and incorporates creative sounds with messages relevant to our daily walk with Christ. I've heard some cats say J.R. sounds like Outkast, Pharrell, Radiohead, Lenny Kravitz, or Kanye West but I don't hear any of those cats. When I hear these superb compositions, ballads, and rhymes, I hear my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Significance

This album hits your soul in a way that challenges, encourages, and teaches you God's love, nature, and purpose for our lives. J.R. brings the message of Jesus from all kinds of creative angles. His song "OK" hits the nail on the head when he makes it clear that no matter what happens in your life, with Christ Jesus, you can say I'm ok. Isn't that one of the core principles of Christianity? I also found that songs like "When the Thrill is Gone," featuring Lecrae, illustrate how lonely this world can be without God. People turn to drugs, sex, and money instead of Jesus everyday. They may have fun for a while and it might even feel good for some time, but eventually, the things of this world perish, then what do you have?

I think J.R. avoided the usually preachy message of sin. Instead, he used real life examples to lure the audience in. The stories were both interesting and relevant; he was able to clearly demonstrate the difference between Godly from worldly. I believe this album will draw the typical non-believer who might be on the fence on whether to accept Jesus and help them to see how good He can be. By presenting the Gospel with such beautiful music and real life lessons, J.R. accomplished both glorifying God with his talent and, more importantly, honoring Him with the truth of Jesus Christ.

Topics Covered

Promoting Jesus as the world's one true Savior is the main idea I got from this project. I felt like the artist dealt with the different areas that not just draw us closer to Christ, but also help keep us grounded. "Trust in Him" reminds us that leaning on God and not our own understanding leads us on a path of righteousness. The idea of relying on God's standard of success and not what the secular world deems as success was emphasized in "Rockstar." By accepting Christ, we can be thankful that God's love saves us from being a slave to sin. "Not a Slave" not only conveyed this point, it was a hot joint to boot.

Other topics included: Resting in Christ (Tonight), being ready to fight for Jesus (Ridaz featuring Da' T.R.U.T.H., Iz-Real, and Trip Lee), and as I mentioned earlier if you are in Christ you are redeemed, so what ever trial your facing , it's ok (OK).

Key Tracks

I have to say this album was rare in that every song is key, but if I have to list a few as highlights here is my list: "Ridaz," "Rockstar," "Not a Slave," "We Need You," "Tonight," "Trust In You," and "Say Yeah." Each of these stand out as tracks most cats will flow with on this Life by Stereo journey.